


And Give a Hand o' Thine

by Rose_of_Pollux



Category: Scooby Doo - All Media Types, The 13 Ghosts of Scooby-Doo (Cartoon)
Genre: Found Family, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-31
Updated: 2020-12-31
Packaged: 2021-03-11 00:08:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,934
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28462167
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rose_of_Pollux/pseuds/Rose_of_Pollux
Summary: [Oneshot, original 13 Ghosts 'verse].  The gang's plans to spend New Year's Eve in Florida go awry when they opt instead to help Vincent take on an ice monster prowling around the mountainside.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 4





	And Give a Hand o' Thine

**Author's Note:**

> So, this was a oneshot idea that I’d been wanting to write, and the idea was most insistent, and pretty much wrote itself. While not a direct part of my 13 Ghosts Season 2 project, it does take place during it—think of it as a New Year’s special. It does, however, take place a bit ahead of my current spot in the Season 2 project timeline, which is why I mention briefly how Fred and Velma now know about Vincent and Flim-Flam; I’ll elaborate on what actually happened when I get to that part in my project timeline.
> 
> Happy New Year!

Vincent had long since decided that it was best to stand back when Daphne, Shaggy, Scooby, and Scrappy scrambled to pack up for a trip back to the States. It didn’t really bother him to see them so eager to leave, at least not any longer; though there had been a time when he had thought that they’d be lulled back into their former lives, back to when they didn’t have to deal with real ghosts and monsters, and he would have accepted that—they were mortals, after all, forced to clean up a supernatural mess they’d made, and he had fully expected them to want to return to their old lives once things had settled down.

He had been astounded, therefore, when they had insisted on staying with him and Flim-Flam, helping him handle tasks assigned by the goddess Athena. Unlike the 13 Ghosts, they’d had no obligation to help him with this particular quest, but they had stayed. After so much time spent chasing ghosts together, they had simply come to see him and Flim-Flam as family, and they were merely doing what family did—stick together.

Though Shaggy, Daphne, Scooby, and Scrappy had endeavored to keep their ghost-chasing lives a secret from Fred and Velma, and had done so for over a year and a half, the coverup inevitably crumbled to pieces when Bogel and Weerd let the metaphorical cat out of the bag, attempting to threaten Fred in exchange for the Chest. Vincent had to intervene to save Fred, and after Daphne had unleashed all righteous fury upon the two troublesome ghosts for what they’d tried to pull (causing them to retreat into the woodwork for the last several months as a result), she and the others had come clean to Fred and Velma. They took it about as well as could be expected—justifiably hurt, but understanding why they’d kept it from them, acknowledging that, in their place, they’d have done the same.

They’d accepted Flim-Flam and Vincent, as well, but Vincent had insisted that, as relatively new faces to Fred and Velma, they had no right to impose upon them for this planned gathering, which had apparently been a blanket invitation from Velma, but one that Vincent thought prudent to decline personally for the aforementioned reasons, despite Shaggy, Daphne, and the dogs having tried to change his mind.

And so, it didn’t concern Vincent that the others were looking forward to their visit with Fred and Velma; he knew they would return, and with Fred and Velma’s approval. And, indeed, Fred and Velma knew them far longer than he and Flim-Flam had; they deserved to spend time with each other—if they hadn’t thought of going, Vincent would’ve suggested it himself.

Flim-Flam was the one who seemed bothered by their eagerness to go; he, at least, was worried about them not wanting to come back. He was not ready for that possibility, in spite of Vincent’s reassurance that they would, inevitably, return—that they’d been through far too much together to throw it all away now.

Nevertheless, Vincent kept an eye on Flim-Flam as he silently fretted at Shaggy and Daphne’s running around the castle, packing.

“I can’t find my green shirt!” Shaggy was saying.

“Well, stick with the red one!” Daphne said. “I’m still looking for all of the gift tins for everyone—I found the peanut brittle, but I can’t find the special caramel popcorn…” She trailed off as Shaggy now attempted to make a hasty exit. “…Norville Rogers, you get back here _right now_ and tell me what you did with those popcorn tins!”

“Rhoh boy…” Scooby remarked, watching Daphne now chase Shaggy right out of the room.

“I can’t blame him,” Scrappy mused. “That’s some really good popcorn—the salt and caramel and those little blue-and-white sugar crystals… just the right amount of sweet and salty!”

“Rheah!” Scooby grinned, licking his lips in anticipation. “Rhut it’s only available in December!”

“Yeah,” Scrappy sighed. “I wish I knew why they couldn’t sell it all through the year…”

“Easy,” Flim-Flam quipped. “By making it a limited-time item, they can create artificial scarcity and hike up the price. And they call _me_ Flim-Flam? _Ha_!” He paused, his mind finally getting distracted from the fact that everyone was leaving. “Hey, you know, maybe I should try that with my Lotsa Luck Joy Juice down in the village…”

Vincent stopped paying attention as he heard a knock on the doors of the castle. He cast a quick glance at the enchanted statue head of Pallas Athena above the door—it wasn’t glowing, which meant that there was no danger detected.

Casting another protective glance at Flim-Flam and the dogs, who were still chatting about popcorn and luck potions, Vincent withdrew to the hall, remaining on the defensive anyway as he opened the doors, finding himself looking at one of the men from the nearby village.

The villager looked intimidated upon seeing the warlock face-to-face, and he pressed his palms together in respectful greeting.

“ _Namaskar, Jadhugar_ ,” he said, bowing his head slightly as he addressed Vincent as the Nepali word for Magician. “I come from the village to seek your aid.”

“…You’ll forgive me for saying this, but that’s a first,” Vincent intoned, arching an eyebrow.

“…Yes, I know we have not been known to disturb you since you took residence upon this mountain,” the man said, sheepishly. “For generations, we have heard about the _Jadhugar_ who hid himself away in a mountain stronghold, and we were advised by the monks in the monastery not to disturb you.”

“…And the monks now said it was alright?” Vincent deadpanned, though the thought did amuse him.

“The Abbot said that the great cloud of anguish and despair that he and his predecessors had sensed around your stronghold had finally dissipated,” the man said. “He believed it would have been ill-advised to disturb you whilst you were… still in the midst of it.”

Vincent had been caught off-guard by that one; it was true, in the immediate aftermath of losing his then-companion, Mortifer, and then having an unpleasant close call during the witch hunts soon after that, he _had_ sealed himself away in his castle for three hundred years—an exile that had only ended after Flim-Flam, against the advice of the monks (who had probably given him the same explanation as to why he shouldn’t be disturbed) had ended up on his doorstep to disturb him anyway a few years prior, and then the others had arrived on the scene soon after that, inadvertently thawing his iced-over heart, daring him to care once again.

“Well…” Vincent said, trying to change the subject. “Anyway, what brings you here?”

“There is some sort of monster in the mountains, stalking the village,” the man said. “We thought, at first, it was the Yeti, but the Yeti never had this aura of malevolence around him. And the description matches nothing like that of the Yeti.”

“The monster has been confirmed by eyewitnesses?” Vincent asked.

“…Only the village children have seen it so far—it has no fur like the Yeti; it resembles a mobile, skeletal ice sculpture, with glowing eyes and a circular mouth, with no teeth—and its claws are icicles. It has been seen multiple times by different children—but always the children.”

Vincent’s eyes narrowed.

“I _don’t_ like the sound of that,” he stated.

“Then you, too, have assumed what we have assumed in the village—the monster seeks to hunt the children. But for what purpose, we don’t know?”

“I have encountered a beast such as the one you have described in my travels,” Vincent replied. “It seeks to turn its victims into its own kind—but the smaller ones can only go after smaller victims.”

“… _Hey Bhagavan_ …” the man murmured, placing his head in his hands. “Then, it is as we feared… The children are in danger. What do you suggest we do?”

“Don’t let your children out of your sight, naturally,” Vincent said. “Of course, that’s only a temporary answer; once the ice beast grows in size, it will come after anyone and everyone. That’s a few winters off—”

“I beseech you, _Jadhugar_ , is there nothing you can do for us? The Abbot advised us to ask this of you.”

Vincent glanced back at the villager with an arched eyebrow again. The man seemed intimidated again, and took a step back.

“We are so very unprepared for such a thing,” the man managed to say. “And our children are in danger. …Tell me, _Jadhugar_ , are _you_ a father?”

Vincent hesitated for a moment, and, in that moment, he could hear the commotion inside—

“Mr. Van Ghoul, can you tell Shaggy to give me the popcorn tins back!?”

“Mr. V, can you tell Daphne she needs to be a bit more trusting and a bit more generous!?”

“Hey, Vince, what’s the going rate for a luck potion these days? And what if I made it seasonal?”

Vincent sighed quietly and glanced back at the villager.

“Yes,” he said, sincerely. “Yes, I am.”

“Then you know how we feel,” the man said. “If it was your children being stalked by this beast…”

“…There is nothing I wouldn’t do to protect them,” Vincent admitted. “Very well—go tell the rest of the village that I will handle the matter personally.”

The man pressed his palms together and bowed respectfully once more.

“We cannot begin to describe our gratitude, _Jadhugar_. I will inform them at once. I wish you and your family a blessed New Year.”

“Same to you,” Vincent returned.

He watched as the man retreated, and then Vincent closed the front door, going over exactly how to go about this unexpected challenge. He drew back to the living room, where Shaggy and Daphne were still squabbling over the popcorn, and where Flim-Flam was still going over his master plan with Scooby and Scrappy.

“ _Ahem_!” 

Vincent got their attention immediately with one clear of his throat.

“That’s quite enough of that,” he said. “You’ll have to sort out your popcorn trifles after I send you four to Florida; and you, Flim-Flam, will stay here until I return—there’s something I need to take care of down the mountain.”

“Huh!?” the others chorused.

“Like, did we miss something?” Shaggy asked.

“Yes, you missed that someone from the village came up here to ask me to deal with an ice beast plaguing the mountainside,” Vincent said, amused at how they’d managed to be unaware of it. “It’s certainly not how I expected to spend my New Year’s Eve, but I couldn’t say no, given the circumstances. If you’ll just let me send you to Florida, I can be on my way—”

“Wait, we can help!” Daphne said.

“…You were all excited about spending New Year’s Eve with Fred and Velma; there’s no need to ruin your plans for this,” Vincent said. “Winter in the Himalayas is no small matter.”

“But we’re twelve hours ahead of the East Coast—that’s plenty of time to help you splat that ice beast and still be back before the Times Square broadcast!” Scrappy exclaimed. “Right, Uncle Scooby?”

“Uh…” Scooby trailed off, gulping, but then suppressed any nerves with a wan smile. “Rhyeah!”

Shaggy also gulped, gave a nervous chuckle, but nodded in agreement, still shaking slightly.

“Hey, then I don’t have to stay here—I can tag along, too!” Flim-Flam grinned. “Perfect!”

“…Oh, all right,” Vincent sighed, knowing that arguing with this stubborn crew was worthless. “Wear all of your winter gear and bring the Chest of Demons. Hopefully, we can finish this quickly.”

*******************************

The mortals were clearly cold and uncomfortable as they trekked down the mountain, but they refused to admit it. Vincent had helped by enchanting their winter gear, but that did nothing to stop the winter winds from striking them.

Vincent made sure the others stayed close by; in addition to making sure they wouldn’t get lost on the mountain, he also wanted to make sure that Flim-Flam and Scrappy were well-protected, as the ice beast would be targeting them, on account of their size.

They were nearing the right way, clearly; Daphne let out a cry as she pointed up ahead—numerous small animals, like voles and even a small mountain goat, were encased in ice.

“What did this to them!?” she asked. “Are they… are they…?”

“Yes, they’re still alive—the ice beast doesn’t seek to kill its victims, just entrap them in ice long enough until they change into one of them.”

“Zoinks! So, it’s like _Invasion of the Body-Snatchers_!?” Shaggy yelped.

“For lack of a better description, yes,” Vincent replied, flatly. “However, I think we are in time to save these ones… _Fira_!”

He cast a fireball in the middle of the encased animals; the gang watched in trepidation as the ice melted. The voles scurried off, one of them shaking off the glowing of its eyes. The goat stumbled a bit, let out a bleat, and ran off into the night.

“…Are you certain that you don’t want me to send you to Florida now?” Vincent asked again.

He glanced back at them, and they gazed back at him, silently; Shaggy and Scooby were trembling, but they didn’t speak up about wanting to go.

Vincent shook his head, but before he could say anything, a loud, pained roar emitting from down the mountain caused them all to jump.

He struck a defensive pose, his right arm raised to cast a spell as the others all clung to him in fright.

“Rhat was _that_ …?” Scooby yelped.

“I’ll… I’ll bet that’s the ice beast!” Scrappy said, no longer as confident as he had been before.

“No, that’s not it,” Vincent said. “The ice beast is silent—I think I know what this is…”

Slowly, he walked forward, the others following, refusing to let go of him. Another roar emitted from up ahead, and now, the youngsters gasped as their lanterns and flashlights illuminated a large, bipedal creature covered in fur. The creature roared a third time, and it seemed to be holding its arm, which had parallel gashes on it.

“Is… is that the Yeti…?” Flim-Flam asked, his eyes wide.

“Y-Yeti!?” Shaggy stammered. “The Abominable Snowman— _that_ Yeti!?”

“The one and only,” Vincent said.

“…It’s been hurt,” Daphne realized. It didn’t look as frightening now, she realized—in fact, she found herself feeling sorry for it.

“Now’s our chance!” Scrappy exclaimed. “We can use the Chest—”

“No!” Vincent instructed. “He means us no harm!”

He broke from the others, walking closer to the Yeti; the Yeti bared its teeth at the approaching warlock.

“Rhbe careful!” Scooby pleaded.

“It’s alright,” Vincent promised. He paused in front of the Yeti, holding his arm out again. “Let me help you.”

The Yeti snarled at first, but Vincent didn’t move. Finally, the Yeti extended its wounded arm.

“Uh, Mr. V, are you sure this is a good idea…?” Shaggy fretted.

“Trust me, Shaggy,” Vincent assured him, as he placed his hand over the Yeti’s wounds. “ _Esuna_.”

The Yeti let out a quiet sound as the gashes on its arm healed, and there was another round of gasps from the mortals as the Yeti suddenly reached for Vincent, placing its large hand on the warlock’s head.

But Vincent merely chuckled, gently moving the Yeti’s arm away and smoothing his hair back into place.

“I think it’s… _thanking_ him…!” Daphne realized.

“And he is very welcome,” Vincent said. His expression darkened, however, and he addressed the Yeti directly. “But, tell me—the thing that did this to you… where did it go?”

The Yeti pointed further down the mountain, snarling. Vincent indicated for the others to follow him, and they did so, heading past the Yeti and further down the slope.

“Hey, we must be getting near the village; I recognize this pathway!” Flim-Flam commented.

“The ice beast might be trying to go after one of the village children again,” Vincent fumed. “There’ll likely be some stragglers on account of everyone wanting to celebrate the New Year…!”

“Rhi see it! Rhi see it!” Scooby yelped.

“Zoinks!” Shaggy exclaimed again.

The moonlight reflected eerily off of the creature’s ice body—but nothing was more unnerving than those glowing eyes, which illuminated its small, round snout.

“Get the Chest ready,” Vincent instructed.

But the ice beast saw them approach, and then turned and fled before Shaggy could get the Chest; Vincent muttered something in ancient Greek before running after it—and the others immediately ran after him.

They pursued it, across the snowfields and into a network of caves, but lost track of it in one of the passageways.

“We need to find it and seal it away before it tries to attack the village again,” Vincent fumed. “And then, we need to figure out just how it got here.”

“What do you mean?” Daphne asked. “It didn’t just form out of the ice?”

“No; that thing isn’t of this dimension,” Vincent said. “The last time I saw of it its kind was back when I was traveling with Boris and Voudini—we hopped through so many different dimensions, so I’m not exactly sure which one of those it could’ve come from…”

“So, it really _is_ like _Invasion of the Body-Snatchers_ ,” Shaggy gulped.

He clutched at the Chest as they wandered deeper into the network of tunnels and caverns; Scooby was sticking right by his side and accidentally stepping on his feet multiple times, but Shaggy was too nervous to notice.

Vincent stopped in his tracks after a while, frowning.

“…I can sense its presence,” he said, quietly. “But where _is_ it!?”

“Those glowing eyes should be a dead giveaway,” Daphne agreed. “But I don’t see them.”

“Did rhou have to say ‘dead…?’” Scooby whimpered.

A few pebbles suddenly fell on Vincent’s sleeve from the ceiling of the cavern chamber, and he froze.

“It’s up there!” he exclaimed. “Get back—!”

He looked up, and, sure enough, saw the glowing eyes on the ceiling—just before the ice creature let go of the ceiling, dropping down, its gaze fixed on Flim-Flam and Scrappy.

“ _Reflect_!”

Vincent had put himself in front of the others (who had, mercifully, scrambled back as he’d instructed), leaning back to summon his Reflect Barrier spell above them, which was the only thing standing between the ice beast and him. It held, but Vincent was in a most uncomfortable position, bent over backwards like he was doing the limbo, still maintaining the barrier, which the beast was now jumping up and down on, trying to break it. The barrier did not break, but with every jump, Vincent cringed in pain as the pressure increased on his spine.

“Vincent—!” Daphne cried.

The beast leaped into the air once more.

“Rhaggy, quick—the Chest!” Scooby barked.

Shaggy ran out from behind the safety of the barrier, opening the Chest as the ice creature aimed a kick back down; the pull of the Chest drew it inside, and Vincent was finally able to let the barrier go, allowing himself to fall back onto the cavern floor.

Shaggy shuddered as the realization sunk in as to what he’d done, but that soon was pushed aside as he joined the others around Vincent.

“Are you okay, Mr. V?” he asked.

“That was… a very risky move you pulled…” Vincent chided, as he caught his breath.

“Nevermind about that, Vince…” Flim-Flam said, sounding somewhat subdued; the creature had been after him and Scrappy, after all…

“Are you gonna be okay?” Scrappy asked, thinking along the same lines.

“Yes, I… I will be.”

“You’d better not be saying that just because it’s what we want to hear,” Daphne said. “We—”

She was cut off as the chamber started shaking.

“Ryikes!” Scooby yelped.

“What’s happening!?” Shaggy exclaimed. “Is it an avalanche outside!?”

“No…!” Vincent exclaimed, sitting up now. “The cavern’s collapsing; I need to teleport us out—!”

The chamber floor gave way beneath them just as Vincent grabbed for the crystal—but as they fell, he missed as the crystal went into freefall as they hurtled downward. But, instead of another underground chamber, beneath them lay a glowing, circular pattern.

As they fell toward it, Daphne realized with a surge of fright that she recognized it as an interdimensional gate, having fallen through one once before.

Vincent recognized it immediately, as well—and he quickly realized he had a decision to make—save the crystal ball, or save the others…

…It was a no-brainer—

“ _Levitate_!”

Vincent had tried to keep them all aloft, sighing as the crystal ball fell into the gate below, but, as he continued to hold the others in the air, large chunks of the collapsed upper chamber kept falling around them, one of them slamming into him, knocking him out.

With cries of fright, the others all began to fall again along with him, landing right into the open gate as the larger chunks of debris fell upon the gate, effectively sealing it behind them.

********************************

When Vincent revived, he was immediately met with a new wave of pain—his entire left side, from where the falling piece of cavern ceiling had struck him. Within moments, however, he had forgotten all about it, frantically remembering that the others had been with him.

His eyes snapped open in concern, and he was surprised to see the others around him, looking no worse for wear, though they all gave a slight start of surprise as he suddenly revived. Vincent quickly realized that Shaggy and Scooby were supporting him into a sitting position against a wall, while the others had been rubbing his wrists.

“Are you alright?” Daphne asked.

“I’ll be fine,” he insisted. He’d merely need to cast a healing spell on himself to banish the pain—but he knew that if he did that in front of the others, they’d only worry. That could wait. “What about the rest of you?”

“We’re fine, Vince,” Flim-Flam said, rather subdued again. “Thanks to you.”

“Yeah, I dunno how, but, like, you somehow managed to cast another levitation spell to slow down our fall while you were still knocked out,” Shaggy said.

“Did I?” Vincent asked, intrigued. “Well, I knew I was good, but I seem to be even better than I’ve assumed all this time…”

“Yeah, of course you are!” Scrappy said, but also still sounding a bit subdued, as well. “But I’m just glad you’re okay after you got hit with that boulder…”

“Rheah—we were so worried about rhou!” Scooby exclaimed.

“Your concern is noted and appreciated. I don’t suppose you found where the crystal landed?” Vincent saw the answer in their faces, and his expression softened. “…Of course you didn’t; you wanted to make sure I was alright first…”

“That’s us—a bunch of sentimental fools,” Flim-Flam said, with a sheepish smile.

“Well, no matter. The cavern collapse has taken care of the interdimensional gate, so we don’t have to worry about any more of those ice creatures finding their way through it. All we need now is to find the crystal and…” Vincent trailed off as he finally took note of their surroundings—the dark, icy interior of some sort of ice fortress… or dungeon. But more concerning than that was the sight of dozens upon dozens of glowing ice beast eyes staring at them from within the walls of the dungeon.

“Mr. Van Ghoul?” Daphne asked, seeing him go pale in the light of the torch brackets. “What is it? What’s wrong?”

She moved to turn around and look, but froze at his next words—

“ _No_! Don’t move—don’t move a muscle, any of you!” he instructed.

“Rhat’s happened…?” Scooby whimpered, starting to tremble.

He couldn’t see what Vincent could see—none of them could. They were all in a semi-circle around him, facing him, with their backs to the other walls. But one thing they did know—if Vincent was afraid, then they had all better be, as well.

“Listen to me, all of you…” Vincent said. “No matter what happens, you must remain calm—and, once again, you must not move.”

“…There’s something behind us, isn’t there?” Shaggy gulped.

“Well, that’s putting it mildly…” Vincent said. He sighed, staring at the wall of eyes staring back at them. “It seems that the gate deposited us in a hive of those ice beasts—one of them must have broken from the hive and made it through the gate when it hatched.”

“Hatched…? Hive…?” Daphne repeated, her eyes going wide. “Just how many of them are there!?”

“Ya know, I don’t think I wanna know,” Flim-Flam said.

“Rhi _know_ Rhi don’t wanna know!” Scooby fretted.

“But… why do we have to stay still?” Scrappy asked. “Why can’t we move? Maybe if we’re really quiet…”

“It doesn’t matter how loud or quiet we are; the ice beasts have no ears,” Vincent explained. “All they have are eyes, claws, and a mouth to inflict a bite that freezes their victims in their tracks. They track their targets by watching for movement. They must have been asleep or hibernating when we fell here, and the impact from the fall woke them up. The only reason they didn’t attack already is…” He trailed off. “…Because you didn’t move—you never left my side. You were so concerned for me that you never even noticed you were surrounded…”

It was a sobering realization that, despite being unconscious, he had somehow managed to save them just by being present. Though he hadn’t once considered opting to save the crystal over them first, it was clear that if he _had_ gone for the crystal first and had then gone through the gate after them (which, in hindsight, would have been the logical course of action—to retrieve their means of transport first so that he could then teleport them all out), they would have already panicked upon noticing the eyes and would have moved in an attempt to flee—and Vincent would have been too late…

“M-Mr. V…?” Shaggy stammered. “Wh-What are we supposed t-to do?”

Vincent shut his eyes briefly, still trying to internalize what had just happened.

“I don’t know yet,” he admitted. “I have my emerald pendant in my pocket; I could use it now to teleport myself out of here across dimensions, but it’s only meant for one person. I could take Scrappy with me—maybe Flim-Flam, too.”

“Then do that,” Daphne instructed. “They’re they youngest—they should be out of here first.”

“What!?” Scrappy exclaimed. “No way!”

“We can’t leave you guys!” Flim-Flam agreed.

“It’ll be fine—Mr. Van Ghoul can teleport back for the rest of us after you two get to safety,” Daphne insisted.

“R-Rhyeah…” Scooby gulped. As much as he hated being surrounded, he did, at least, wanted Scrappy and Flim-Flam to be safe.

“No, that won’t work,” Vincent said. “For one thing, the moment we’d teleport, they would all go after who was left after seeing that movement. For another thing… This is a different dimension—time could be flowing at a different rate. In the time it would take me to get the spare crystal from the study and come back for you, hundreds of years could have passed here.”

They all flinched slightly at the mental image of what that would lead to.

“Like, I hope there’s another way…” Shaggy fretted.

“…I don’t know,” Vincent admitted. “I’m trying to think of another way, but…” He frowned, growing exasperated. He was the most powerful warlock in the world, and yet, he was stymied this badly!?

He let out a quiet, frustrated snarl.

“…Mr. Van Ghoul…?” Daphne asked.

“You shouldn’t have been here!” he hissed. “You should have been in Florida with Fred and Velma, like I’d intended for you to go! And you should have stayed at home!” he added, directed at Flim-Flam. “You all should have been spending your New Year’s Eve somewhere nice and safe, enjoying yourselves, and not… stuck in some forsaken place like this!”

By now, they knew better than to think that Vincent was upset at them; all his bluster was merely to cover up his anger at himself at not being able to send them home safely.

They knew it. And he knew they knew it.

“How could we have enjoyed ourselves knowing that you were dealing with some fiend all alone?” Daphne asked, gently.

“Like, we didn’t even want to leave you and Flim-Flam and just go traipsing off to Florida, anyway,” Shaggy admitted.

“Rhyeah, we wanted you to come with us,” Scooby agreed.

“But you kept saying that you might find it awkward since we know Fred and Velma well, but you guys don’t…” Scrappy finished.

“I mean, sure, it woulda been awkward,” Flim-Flam mused. “But we coulda made it work.”

Vincent shut his eyes again.

“But this discussion is now a moot point,” he said, and a pained expression crossed his features as he reminded himself once again that it was his fault. “…I’m sorry.”

“Aww, Vince…” Flim-Flam sighed.

“You don’t have to be sorry, Mr. V. You didn’t want this anymore than we did,” Shaggy pointed out. “And, like… it could’ve been worse.”

“Shaggy’s right—maybe we are stuck here on New Year’s Eve, but at least we’re all stuck here together,” Daphne added. “I know Fred and Velma are going to be disappointed—and worried, once we don’t show up. And I know things aren’t looking too rosy for us now, either, but we’ve still got each other. And we’ve found our way out of jams together before—there’s always a chance we might find a way out of this one.”

“Yeah!” Scrappy said. “We’ve still got hope!”

“Rhat’s gotta count for something, right?” Scooby asked.

Vincent glanced at them all, one by one.

“…I’d say it counts for quite a lot,” he admitted, at last.

Even in the midst of their worries and their fears, they managed wan smiles in response to him.

Slowly, so as not to move too much and draw the attention of the ice beasts, they gently drew Vincent into another one of their group hugs, which he, too, carefully returned after a moment’s hesitation.

They truly were his family—and they still had all the faith in the world in him.

And as he continued to hold them close, the warlock’s determination returned full force. He’d told the villager as much—that he would do whatever it took to protect his family.

He _would_ get them out of here. Somehow.

He shut his eyes yet again, this time, trying to concentrate. The crystal ball had to have fallen with them—therefore, it had to be in the room. It would undoubtedly have cracked in the fall—but that didn’t mean it was completely useless—yet.

The crystal was connected to his mana; it was only a matter of time until he sensed its general location…

Ah, _there_! By the far wall!

“…I think we may have a chance after all,” he said. “One chance—but if it fails, we’ll be in a worse mess than before. …Are you willing to take that chance?”

Shaggy and Scooby gulped, but nodded along with the rest.

“Alright. I found the crystal at the other side of the room. It’ll have broken, but I can summon its magic for one all-or-nothing teleport spell if I combine it with my emerald pendant and use a large amount of mana to power it. …If it doesn’t work, there’s a very good chance that we’ll be stranded somewhere after falling short, and my mana will have drained, meaning that we’ll be stuck there until I can rest and recover my mana. …The worst-case scenario is that the teleport spell doesn’t work with the broken crystal, I waste my mana for nothing, and we’re left stranded and vulnerable right here, with all of these creatures ready to attack us. Are you willing to take these chances?”

They all nodded again; even Shaggy and Scooby nodded without hesitation this time.

“We believe in you,” Daphne promised.

“And if it doesn’t work, well, we’ve got the Chest ready and waiting to take on those walking icicles,” Shaggy added, trying to hide the nervousness in his voice.

Vincent steeled his resolve.

“Then, on the count of three—I’ll cast a protection spell around us as we run. Ready? One… two… _three_!”

They all got up and bolted as Vincent cast a protective spell around them.

As predicted, the ice beasts all pulled out of their cocoons in the walls as they ran, but they bounced harmlessly off of the protection spell.

Scooby, faster on four legs, reached the crystal first and gathered the cracked glass orb, handing it to Vincent.

“Alright, let’s split!” Scrappy exclaimed.

“You got this, Vince!” Flim-Flam encouraged.

“Let’s hope so,” Vincent sighed. “Take hold of my arms again—and don’t let go!”

He summoned every ounce of his mana, pouring it into his spell, which resulted in the protective barrier fading as the mana powering it was repurposed. The ice beasts all moved in to attack, but—

“ _Teleport_!”

They felt the similar sensation as they teleported, careening through time and space as they held on to each other.

And then, the cold, icy dungeon floor was suddenly replaced by the feel of grass beneath them, but they didn’t dare take a look just yet.

Scrappy was the first to open his eyes.

“Look! We made it! _Yippie_!”

They were at a highway rest stop—near the exit sign that listed Cocoa Beach as its closest destination.

And a nearby digital clock on the wall read 10:30 PM, December 31.

“And with an hour and a half to spare,” Daphne breathed, but she quickly grew concerned as she saw Vincent stumble forward. “…Oh, gosh—Vincent!”

They moved to help the now-dizzy warlock steady himself; he always ended up in such a state when using _that_ much of his mana. Dimensional hopping was no small feat—especially so with a broken crystal.

“You pulled it off, Mr. V!” Shaggy exclaimed.

“Rhyeah! …Thanks,” Scooby added, giving Vincent another hug.

Vincent managed a wan chuckle.

“I guess I _am_ better than I thought…” he mused aloud. Whether by his own skill and determination to get them to safety, or their faith in him—or possibly a combination of it all—he’d done it.

“You’re the best, Vince!” Flim-Flam grinned.

Pride and modesty were having a bit of an argument in Vincent’s mind, but he forced both of those sides of his to be silent.

“Go on, then,” he said. “Go call Fred and Velma to pick you up. And you can go with them, Flim-Flam. Between the two of us, you will be less awkward to have tagging along.”

“How about we don’t care about what’s awkward anymore?” Daphne asked. “You’re one of us, Mr. Van Ghoul, whether you like it or not.”

“Yeah, and we know Fred and Velma well enough to say that they’ll agree with that too,” Shaggy added.

They weren’t going to take no for an answer, Vincent realized, as Scooby, Scrappy, and Flim-Flam also voiced their insistence. Nothing else mattered now—the peanut brittle, the popcorn, the rest of the luggage that they’d been squabbling about earlier… All that mattered now was someone who they considered to be one of their own.

And, like so many times before, Vincent let them win the argument just to simplify matters.

After all, this could prove to be a very interesting diversion—and a very enjoyable New Year’s Eve indeed.


End file.
